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Zipline

Builds and runs autonomous drone delivery

Director of Airspace Policy and Regulatory Affairs

Corporate StrategyConfirmed live in the last 24 hours
Full-timeSouth San Francisco, CA, USANo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

  • At least 10 years of experience in air traffic management, aviation systems, uncrewed aircraft systems operations, aviation regulation, UAS traffic management, spectrum policy, standards development, or a related field.
  • A track record of designing, deploying, operating, regulating, or materially shaping complex airspace-integration systems for uncrewed aircraft systems or advanced air mobility.
  • Experience with advanced aviation or electric vertical takeoff and landing airspace integration, advanced air mobility operating concepts, NextGen air traffic-management programs, or comparable efforts to integrate new aircraft into existing aviation systems.
  • Experience in Federal Communications Commission and aviation spectrum issues affecting uncrewed aircraft systems, including command-and-control and CNPC links, the 5030–5091 MHz band, radio-frequency interference and coexistence, equipment authorization, ultra-wideband, cellular or satellite communications, and related licensing or regulatory proceedings.
  • Demonstrated leadership or substantive technical participation in international aviation standards and policy forums, such as ICAO, JARUS, ASTM F38, RTCA, GUTMA, or comparable organizations.
  • Trusted relationships with civil aviation authorities policy and rulemaking leadership, air navigation service providers, standards organizations, UAS operators, and UTM service providers.
  • Experience working in both government and industry, with the judgment to reconcile regulator, operator, service-provider, and public interests into practical systems and policy.
  • Technical fluency sufficient to engage with subject matter experts on radio-frequency and spectrum issues, interoperability requirements, electronic conspicuity, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, uncrewed aircraft systems traffic management, safety cases, and engineering tradeoffs.
  • The ability to influence across organizational boundaries and convert complex technical, regulatory, and operational issues into concise recommendations for leadership.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to represent Zipline credibly in technical standards, regulatory, and executive forums.
  • A Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, computer science, aviation, air traffic management, public policy, or a related field.
  • Based in or willing to work from South San Francisco, California, with regular travel for regulatory engagements, standards meetings, industry convenings, and operational sites.

Responsibilities

  • Work with cross-functional teams to develop and implement Zipline’s airspace integration strategy, including strategic and tactical deconfliction of uncrewed aircraft systems, remote identification, and detection and avoidance of cooperative and non-cooperative crewed aircraft.
  • Lead Zipline’s policy strategy for radio-frequency deconfliction and spectrum coexistence, addressing command-and-control and CNPC links, vehicle-to-vehicle communications, cellular connectivity, and the interaction between uncrewed aircraft systems operations and counter-UAS systems.
  • Lead Zipline’s policy engagement on electronic conspicuity, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, Remote Identification and Network Remote Identification, transponder and surveillance requirements, and other means of making uncrewed aircraft systems visible to airspace-integration systems.
  • Turn aviation and spectrum regulatory requirements, including the Federal Aviation Administration’s beyond visual line of sight rulemaking, into practical compliance, certification, and deployment roadmaps.
  • Represent Zipline in forums where airspace integration policy, standards, and governance are developed, including Federal Aviation Administration working groups, ASTM F38, RTCA, JARUS, GUTMA, and other relevant industry and international organizations.
  • Lead Zipline’s engagement with the Federal Aviation Administration on implementation of Part 108, Part 146, and Section 2209, and engage with other civil aviation authorities and air navigation service providers on related UAS traffic management and U-space efforts.
  • Lead Zipline’s response to government consultations, notices of proposed rulemakings, requests for comments, and other proceedings regarding airspace integration, spectrum, UAS traffic management, detect and avoid, electronic conspicuity, and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast.
  • Convert Zipline’s operational experience, safety evidence, and technical capabilities into credible contributions to standards, guidance, policy, and industry consensus.
  • Advise leadership on emerging regulatory requirements, technical dependencies, approval risks, market-entry constraints, and policy decisions that affect Zipline’s long-term roadmap.

Desired Qualifications

  • Experience with production uncrewed aircraft systems operations, autonomous systems, beyond visual line of sight approvals, Part 135 operations, or large-scale logistics and mobility networks.
  • Experience developing safety cases, assurance frameworks, operational concepts, or certification evidence for high-reliability systems.

About the Company

Zipline

Builds and runs autonomous drone delivery

Zipline builds and operates autonomous drone delivery networks for retailers, restaurants and healthcare systems that need to move products without road traffic. Its electric aircraft carry food, prescriptions and other supplies from partner sites or distribution hubs to customers and health facilities. The company combines aircraft, charging equipment and delivery software with flight operations, so partners buy a logistics service rather than manage their own drones. Merchants use its ordering and tracking tools to reach customers, while governments and health systems contract for medical supply delivery. Zipline was founded in 2014 and has its headquarters in South San Francisco, California.

Company size
1,001-5,000
Company stage
Late Stage VC
Total funding
$3.6B
Headquarters
South San Francisco, CA
Founded
2014

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